The number of community associations in the United States grew from 10,000 in 1970 and 222,500 in 2000 to 342,000 in 2016, according to results of CAI's National and State Statistical Review for 2016. While the 2017 data are not yet available, CAI estimates the year will end with between 345,000 and 347,000 associations. Learn more

69 millionAmericans lived in common-interest communities in 2016-21.3% of the U.S. population in 2016

Kennedy Honored by Fellow Association Attorneys

2/27/2015 - Falls Church,
VA

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E. Richard Kennedy, an attorney with Kennedy Wronko Kennedy in Montville, N.J., has been awarded the Don Buck Lifetime Contribution Award, the most prestigious honor given by the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL). Kennedy accepted the award in January during the 2015 Community Association Law Seminar in San Francisco.

The award recognizes attorneys who exhibit exceptional leadership in the field of community association law.

CCAL consists of nearly 150 highly respected attorneys who have distinguished themselves through contributions to the practice of community association law. They are among the more than 33,000 members of Community Association’s Institute (CAI).

"We are honoring an individual who has been a true leader and mentor in the community association law profession," says 2015 CCAL President Stephen Marcus. "Richard has made tremendous contributions and shown great leadership locally and nationally. Attorneys like Richard are essential to the growth and evolution of our profession and common-interest communities."

Kennedy is a charter member of CCAL and has served as its dean and as a member of its Board of Governors. He also has served on the CAI Board of Trustees and is a past president of both the Foundation for Community Association Research and CAI’s New Jersey chapter. Kennedy also served for many years as chair of the planning committee that develops the program for CAI’s annual Law Seminar. He was awarded CAI’s Outstanding Volunteer Award in 1996 and the organization’s Distinguished Service Award in 2014.

A member of the New Jersey bar, Kennedy is a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court, a fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators and a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. He received his Bachelors of Science degree from Villanova University in 1964 and his Juris Doctor degree from the Seton Hall University School of Law in 1968.

The Lifetime Contribution Award was created in 2009 in honor of Gurdon “Don” Buck, a pioneer and innovator in the field of community association law who died in 2008. Among his many achievements, Buck, a senior partner in what would eventually become Robinson & Cole, LLP, devoted countless hours to the betterment of common-interest communities with his service and contributions through education and scholarly writings for CAI and other organizations.

Through this award, CCAL ensures that Buck’s spirit, devotion and commitment to the community association industry remain alive. The Don Buck Lifetime Contribution Award is awarded periodically at the discretion of the CCAL Board of Governors. CCAL members nominate candidates through a written nomination process. Candidates must be lawyers in good standing with the bar and have at least 20 years of experience in community association law. Each candidate also must be a strong presence in the association industry and have a record of sharing his or her gifts, talents and knowledge with the community.

Other recipients of the prestigious award include George E. Nowack in 2009, Gary A. Poliakoff in 2010 and Wayne S. Hyatt in 2011.

Established in 1993 by the CAI Board of Trustees, CCAL promotes high standards of professional and ethical responsibility, advances the practice of community association law and facilitates the development of educational materials and programming on legal issues. Learn more.

Dedicated to building better communities, CAI works in partnership with 60 chapters to provide information, education and resources to community associations and the professionals who support them. CAI's mission is to inspire professionalism, effective leadership and responsible citizenship—ideals reflected in communities that are preferred places to call home. Visit www.caionline.org or call (888) 224-4321.​

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